Solar thermal magazine Scuderi Group Files Patent Application for Dual Output Generator System
Engine development company Scuderi Group, Inc., today announced it filed a new patent application for a dual output power generation system and method that can be implemented with both conventional or Scuderi Split-Cycle internal combustion engine technology. As outlined below, this technology will enable the system to store electric power from the grid or a renewable source, such as wind, hydro or solar power, at a low cost during off-peak hours.
The Scuderi power generation method (described in US patent application no. 62/000,649) utilizes a generator to simultaneously feed electricity to both an end user and the local grid. This enables the grid to work as a regulator so that the output from the Scuderi system remains at a constant speed and within a maximum efficiency load range whether or not the load of the end-user varies.
A generator that must follow the load of an end user can lose as much as half of its efficiency as the end user’s load drops from peak to low load. By maintaining the output of the generator at or near full load with the grid, the generator’s efficiency also remains at or near full efficiency
“This is a unique method that can be applied to conventional and split-cycle generator technology. The method enables a generator system to maintain a near maximum efficiency regardless of the load fluctuations of the end-user,” said Stephen Scuderi, vice president and patent attorney at Scuderi Group. “This method is now protected by the Scuderi patent portfolio and allows us to get product into the field more rapidly.”
With this new method, Scuderi Group can supply power to an end user through two basic systems, as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 below.
FIGURE 1 (Above)
Figure 1 above represents Scuderi Group’s system of utilizing the grid to regulate and maintain the output of a conventional generator within a maximum efficiency load range regardless of how the end user’s load is fluctuating. Here, the output of the conventional generator is connected in parallel to both the grid and the end user and the generator feeds power to both. As the end user’s load requirements vary, the generator’s output can be kept within a relatively constant high efficiency load range by increasing or decreasing power to the grid accordingly.
FIGURE 2 (Left)
Figure 2 (Left) represents Scuderi Group’s Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system utilizing its patented Expander-Generator. Similar to the system illustrated in Figure 1, the CAES system of Figure 2 is also connected in parallel to both the end user and the grid to maintain the Expander-Generator’s output within a relatively constant high efficiency range. Further, the CAES system has the added advantages of storing and retrieving energy from the grid as compressed air in its air tanks as well as the Expander-Generator having a high power density and efficiency.
This capability enables the CAES system to store electric power from the Grid (or a renewable resource, such as wind, hydro or solar power) at a low cost during off-peak hours and to provide that stored energy back to the end user or grid during peak hours at a reduced cost. The higher power density enables the Expander-Generator to generate the same amount of power as a similarly rated conventional generator, but in a much smaller package size and a much smaller manufacturing cost.
The efficiency of the Expander-Generator is potentially between 60 to 70 percent when generating power from the stored energy in the air tanks, making the overall efficiency of the CAES system potentially greater than the efficiency of a conventional generator system.
About Scuderi Group
Scuderi Group, Inc., is an engine development company that has advanced the design of the internal combustion engine through its split-cycle engine technology known as the SCUDERI™ Engine. Through its engine development, power generation and energy storage engineering efforts, the company has discovered new ways that split-cycle thermodynamics can potentially increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions beyond what conventional engines achieve today. Additionally, the Scuderi Engine provides the manufacturability and power density required by the world’s largest engine manufacturers without the use of exotic parts or changes to the conventional engine block. Scuderi Group holds a patent portfolio that contains hundreds of patents and patent applications issued or filed worldwide. Scuderi Group is headquartered in West Springfield, Mass.,
Tags: energy storage
